Cutter (professional wrestling)

Randy Orton performing the RKO (jumping cutter) on Kane
Matt Hardy performing a Twist of Fate on Sheamus

In professional wrestling, a cutter is a 34 facelock bulldog[1] maneuver. This move sees an attacking wrestler first apply a 34 facelock (reaching back and grabbing the head of an opponent, thus pulling the opponent's jaw above the wrestler's shoulder) before falling backwards (sometimes after running forwards first) to force the opponent face-first to the mat below.

The cutter was innovated by Johnny Ace, who called it the Ace Crusher.[1] It was later popularized by Diamond Dallas Page, who called it the Diamond Cutter, which is where the move got its name. The most famous of all the cutters is the RKO, the finishing move of Randy Orton. The cutter also formed the base for the later development of another professional wrestling move known as the stunner.

  1. ^ a b Melok, Bobby (2013-03-26). "Who invented the RKO? The innovators behind sports-entertainment's best maneuvers". WWE.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.